ReviewNursing research and practice2015
Flushing and Locking of Venous Catheters: Available Evidence and Evidence Deficit.
Review in Nursing research and practice, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 58 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Pilot Trial to Assess Functional, Microbial, Radiological and Patient Reported Outcomes at Totally Implantable Venous Access Device (Port) Removal (PREMO Study)
Innovative Device for Intravenous Administration
Safety And Efficacy Of 8 Hourly Normal Saline Flushing With And Without Heparin Lock In Maintaining Small Bore Intercostal Chest Catheter (ICC) Patency ; A Prospective Pilot Study
Who cites it
58 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 189 citations in OpenAlex.
- Interventions to manage occluded central venous access devices: An umbrella review.The journal of vascular access · 2025Pooled it
- Heparin versus normal saline for the care of peripheral intravenous catheters in children: A meta-analysis.Nursing open · 2024Pooled it
- Normal saline versus heparin for patency of central venous catheters in adult patients - a systematic review and meta-analysis.Critical care (London, England) · 2017Pooled it
- Trial
- A prospective, randomized study assessing different modalities for flushing totally implanted vascular access device in children with malignancy.Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA · 2022Trial
- Implementation and evaluation of short peripheral intravenous catheter flushing guidelines: a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial.BMC medicine · 2020Trial
- Randomized clinical trial analyzing maintenance of peripheral venous catheters in an internal medicine unit: Heparin vs. saline.PloS one · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Routine Catheter Lock Solutions in Pediatric Cancer Care: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Heparin vs Saline.Cancer nursingTrial
- Technical considerations in interpreting rapid transfusion through a 4.2-Fr Broviac catheter.JA clinical reports · 2026Article
- Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of residual deposits in implanted intravenous ports informs maintenance strategies.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Nitric Oxide-Releasing Thixotropic Hydrogels as Antibacterial and Hemocompatible Catheter Locks.ACS biomaterials science & engineering · 2026Article
- Evaluating pulsatile flushing by pushing method and catheter size for educating nurses on peripheral vascular patency: a computational fluid dynamics simulation analysis.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Review
- Normal Saline Push-Pause Advantage for Implanted Port Patency: A Comparative Study.Clinical journal of oncology nursing · 2025Article
- Indian Expert Consensus on the Selection of Vascular Access Devices in Oncology Patients.Indian journal of surgical oncology · 2025Article
- A multimedia tool for infection prevention and control practices in the intensive care unit: a participatory interventional before-after study.Infection prevention in practice · 2025Article
- The impact of a bundle for the prevention of central venous catheter-associated bloodstream infections in an pediatric surgery intensive care unit.GMS hygiene and infection control · 2025Article
- Flushing peripheral intravenous catheters: A scoping review.PloS one · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Flushing and locking of intravenous catheters are thought to be essential in the prevention of occlusion. The clinical sign of an occlusion is catheter malfunction and flushing is strongly recommended to ensure a well-functioning catheter. Therefore fluid dynamics, flushing techniques, and sufficient flushing volumes are important matters in adequate flushing in all catheter types. If a catheter is not in use, it is locked. For years, it has been thought that the catheter has to be filled with an anticoagulant to prevent catheter occlusion. Heparin has played a key role in locking venous catheters. However, the high number of risks associated with heparin forces us to look for alternatives. A long time ago, 0.9% sodium chloride was already introduced as locking solution in peripheral cannulas. More recently, a 0.9% sodium chloride lock has also been investigated in other types of catheters. Thrombolytic agents have also been studied as a locking solution because their antithrombotic effect was suggested as superior to heparin. Other catheter lock solutions focus on the anti-infective properties of the locks such as antibiotics and chelating agents. Still, the most effective locking solution will depend on the catheter type and the patient's condition.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.